Melting Copper Question

Your all kidding yourselves. Melting Copper coins is being done all the time at smelters. Many people simply bring in Copper pipes, cables, wires and coins all together. Then when melted down, the composition of the Copper is all mixed with whatever else was brought in at the same time. By me most smelters have people working there that can hardly speak English let alone know about any laws about what to or what not to melt. If it's metal, it gets melted. So just how would anyone know it was ever a coin if mixed with pipes, wires and cables? And even if melting a Copper coin was against the law, what about all the other ways Copper coins are messed with. At the Zoos they usually have those machines that make Pennies into a Zoo charm. So lets put the Zoo people in jail?

I think the difference, just carl, is that it's specifically illegal to melt cents and nickels, but it's not illegal to "alter" cents in those stamping machines or even on railroad tracks. I imagine they would go after a large operation melting millions of coins if they became aware of it. I think it's funny that you are also limited to taking only $5 worth of cents and nickels out of the country, but you can get on a plane with ten grand in banknotes.

Good one KK
Copper in circulation is certainly dwindling.